Don't Know What They're Missing
by HAFanForever
Summary: Arnold has always been aware of the dysfunction in Helga's home, and when he comes to pick her up on prom night, he sees pictures that show that Olga is still the star child. Luckily, he knows Helga will always have him for the support she really needs.


**Hello friends! I have a little surprise for you today. Instead of writing a new essay for the time being, I decided to do a fic based on one of limey404's artworks, this one, ** limey404 . deviantart art / dont - know - what - they - re - missing - 165425928, **so my title is the same as that of the artwork. After my friend NintendoGal55 did a fic based off one of her other works, I decided to do one myself because I love limey404's **_**Hey Arnold! **_**artworks and NintendoGal55's **_**Hey Arnold! **_**fics. I want to say thanks to both because limey404 is an awesome artist and NintendoGal55 is an awesome writer!**

**So this story is my interpretation of the artwork, and I gave some background info to help support the story, as if it takes place after **_**The Jungle Movie**_** and **_**The Patakis**_**, and I would like to give NintendoGal55 a special thanks because her fic "The Patakis: Last Minutes" makes a lot of sense as to what could happened that lead to Arnold and Helga getting back together as teens, so it helped me a lot when I did this.**

**Hope you enjoy it, and of course, I do not own **_**Hey Arnold!**_

* * *

It was 6:30 P.M.

Arnold finally arrived at the Pataki house and parked the Packard on the street in front of the house. He was wearing a black suit along with a white shirt, a gray bowtie, and black shoes. His hair was unruly and sticking up, like always, and his omnipresent little blue hat was placed in the center of his head. From the seat next to him, he picked up the little white flower in a box that he was going to give her as her corsage.

You guessed it. Tonight was prom night, and Arnold was taking Helga. But they weren't just going as dates. They were going together because they were boyfriend and girlfriend and wanted to go together.

Eight years ago, sometime before they finished fourth grade, Helga finally confessed her true feelings for Arnold on top of the old FTi building while they were trying to save the neighborhood, and she planted a passionate kiss right on his lips.

Months later, early in the fifth grade, while searching for and finally finding his parents in the jungles of San Lorenzo, Arnold had come to realize that he and Helga were meant for each other, and he finally reciprocated her feelings and planted a kiss of his own on her.

Helga's life at home had begun to improve some when she and Arnold became a couple. Initially, Bob objected to Helga dating Arnold, saying she would tarnish the Pataki name by going out at ten years old and with "an orphan boy who lives in a boarding house with his ancestors and weird boarders," despite that Arnold and Helga both said that his parents were back in his life. But even though Arnold was not from a rich or well-connected family, he grew on Bob and impressed him because of how good he was to Helga, making it annoying to Bob at first because he couldn't find a reason to dislike Arnold. Miriam and Olga were a little more open about it in the beginning, but when also they saw how much of a good thing Arnold was, he grew on them as well. Because of how often Arnold and Helga spent time together, and since they could see how happy Arnold made Helga, it became a little hard for Bob, Miriam, and Olga to not notice Helga like before.

When he was thirteen, Arnold's parents decided to move down to San Lorenzo to be closer to the Green-Eyed people, to make sure they could help in any way if they ever fell ill with the sleeping sickness again. While it was a painful decision for him to make, Arnold decided to go with them, as he wanted to be with his parents and he felt he owed to them and the Green-Eyes.

While they dated for a couple of years, then broke up sometime before he moved, Arnold and Helga remained friends, though they still loved each other and it was hard for them to not admit it to one another. Helga often blamed herself for the break-up, even wondering why they did.

Even as she grew into a teenager, Helga's personality had not changed too much. She was happier than she used to be because of her best friend in Phoebe, the slight improvement of her parents, and the few friends she made from her childhood classmates. Though he was no longer in Hillwood, Arnold still inspired her and made her smile, and her love for him only made her feel stronger.

At the same time, however, Helga missed Arnold very much. Things at home were somewhat better now that she was older, but she still occasionally felt like the ugly duckling while Olga was the graceful swan. After graduating from Bennington, Olga decided to pursue a career as an actress. Needless to say, Bob and Miriam encouraged her and were only more proud because of the awards she won from some of her theater works. Helga didn't feel as neglected as she once did, but not having Arnold being there, without him being her boyfriend and the one true support in her life, was why she felt miserable.

But one day, shortly before she began her senior year of high school, Helga got a big surprise: Arnold arrived at her house! He admitted than he came back to stay in Hillwood, and while he loved San Lorenzo like his parents did, they wanted to do what was best for Arnold, and they came back so he could finish his last year back in school. The two of them had a very long talk about their relationship, and Arnold admitted that he meant what he said back in fifth grade, during their adventure in San Lorenzo. He really did love Helga then and he still loved her after all this time, but that a break up was necessary for them because they had to grow up more and learn from their romance as well as their past mistakes, and realize that there are other people out there that with whom they could try to be.

But now that they were older and had some time away and apart from each other, Arnold realized that his love for Helga had intensified and he told her just that. When he asked her if she still loved him, Helga said yes; she never stopped loving him and her feelings intensified as well, even when he was away. Upon this revelation, Arnold and Helga got back together and their rekindled relationship only became stronger, even more so than it was when they were kids. They subsequently never broke up again.

Arnold's parents, Miles and Stella, who knew about the relationship the couple had when they were kids, were only too happy for them, as well as Phil and Gertie, since Arnold and Helga's relationship was just like the one they had as kids, and they were sure the teens would someday have a happy future just like they did.

As for Helga's family, the three of them still knew how good Arnold treated and looked out for Helga, so they were happy enough for her when she got back together with Arnold. Occasionally, even when they were kids, Bob often would catch Arnold and Helga kissing, so he would clear his throat, after which the couple, especially Arnold, would look at him embarrassedly. Helga had made it clear a long time ago that she was not going to let her parents stop her from being with Arnold, and she had never changed her mind about her feelings for him. Overall, since they all noticed how happy Helga was with Arnold, just as they did years before, Bob and Miriam let the couple stay together.

* * *

Arnold had been thinking about these memories he had with Helga before he finally got out of the Packard, and he realized that he had never been happier in his life. She really was an amazing person, inside and out, and full of surprises, just like she had said she was, all those years ago the moment before she confessed.

He walked up to her front stoop and opened the door. He knew it was unlocked because she had called him a few minutes before and told him that she was at home by herself, but she would leave the door unlocked for him.

"Hey Helga! I'm here!" Arnold called to her upstairs.

"Okay, I'll be down in a moment, football head!" Helga called back to him.

As he stood in the doorway, holding the corsage in his hand, Arnold took a glance to his left. Hanging on the wall were three pictures, two of which solely shown Olga, no doubt to display her success as an actress, and one of them showed her holding some kind of award. The third picture, below the two pictures of Olga, showed Bob in the center flanked by Miriam and Olga on each of his sides, and there was no sign of Helga in the shot.

Arnold couldn't help but feel a little dismayed about what he saw before him. Before his true feelings for Helga had awakened in fifth grade, he had a very good idea about the dysfunction in her household, especially when he had that dream about them getting married. He did believe there was some good in Helga's parents, but he could also see the pain it caused Helga when they didn't pay attention to her, and he realized how much she needed him to give her the kindness and other positive aspects that her family seldom gave her.

Even today, with Helga having grown up more, Arnold could see that Bob and Miriam still favored Olga the most. And now, seeing a Pataki family portrait before him that didn't include Helga, well…that just made him feel even more upset for her. Helga was truly an incredible person, and it seemed that her parents and sister couldn't see that and appreciate her for who she truly was like he could, especially Bob, since he almost always encouraged Helga to become a copy of Olga. While he believed that Bob and Miriam did love Helga in their own way, he agreed that they should show it more and love her the way they loved Olga. But at the same time, he didn't worry so much because he knew that she had him to fall back on, and since they got back together, they made a vow to never break up again. Arnold had assured Helga that he would always be there for her, and she said the same thing.

As he continued looking at them, Arnold decided to have a little fun with these pictures. While he didn't usually play jokes or pranks on others, that was still part of Helga's charm, and he grew to like that side of her. So he started fiddling with the pictures until they were hanging more crookedly. They weren't hanging completely upside down or anything like that, but were just not hanging straight on the wall anymore.

Just as he finished toying with the pictures, Arnold heard someone coming down the steps. He looked toward them and saw Helga, who had just now reached the bottom step. She was wearing a pink sleeveless dress, with the top part around the stomach and waist being a light, sparkling pink with curve-like designs, while the bottom part was just a darker shade of a pink, like the color of her childhood pink dress. She was also wearing pink shoes that were the same shade as the lower half of the dress and her blonde hair was done so that some of it was pulled up in the back while more of it hung loose, some of it falling past her face. And of course, she had a small smile on her face.

The moment he saw her, Arnold let out a big wide grin and felt his heart beating at what he thought felt like one hundred miles an hour. He had never thought Helga looked more beautiful than she did now.

"Speechless, are you, Arnold?" Helga asked, her smile turning into a light smirk as she walked towards him.

Arnold just continued grinning, being at a near lost for words. "Uh, yes." He smiled sheepishly. "You look…amazing, Helga. You really do."

Helga giggled. "You're not so bad yourself, hair boy. Especially for prom night."

"Hey, before I forget…" Arnold held up the small box that contained the corsage he had for her.

Helga gasped happily when she saw it, bringing her hands to her mouth. "Oh, you got me a corsage! Arnold, you are a real romantic and charmer!"

"I know," Arnold admitted. He offered his hand to hers. "Here, give me your hand, and I'll put it on your wrist for you."

"Okay."

She placed her left hand in his own stretched-out left one, and he gently slipped the corsage on her wrist, using both of his own hands while some of his fingers held the fingers on her hand.

When he was done, she pulled her arm back to look at it, and she smiled at him lovingly. "Arnold, I-I…" she stuttered nervously, almost at a complete loss for words herself. "I just don't know what to say. It's beautiful."

Arnold only smiled in return. "You deserve it, Helga. And it adds a lot, because you're beautiful, too."

Tears began to sting at Helga's eyes as he said those last four words. "Oh, Arnold! I love you so much! I love you more than anything in the world!"

"I love you, too, Helga. More than anything or anyone on Earth."

Upon hearing those words, Helga grabbed Arnold by the collar of his shirt and pressed her lips on his. Arnold was a little surprised by her fast advance, but he had expected her to do something like that once he said those words, and he brought his arms up from his sides and placed them around her waist to hug her. As she brought her arms around his neck, Arnold reciprocated Helga's kiss, both of them kissing each other passionately.

They finally pulled their lips apart, but they stared and smiled at each other dreamily as they remained their embracement for a moment longer.

Although they both didn't want it to end, Arnold finally broke the silence. "Well, I guess we'd better get going, Helga. Prom starts at 7:00."

Helga let out a mock whine and kept her arms around his neck. "Mmm, I could just stand here forever, locked in your embrace while we kiss, my love."

Arnold smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, there will be plenty of dances where we can do a lot of our kissing."

Helga grinned wickedly. "And you're dancing with me at every dance, bucko!" She removed one of her hands and poked his chest. "You're mine now, and no other girl's. Don't you ever forget that, football head!"

Arnold just laughed and grinned himself. "Whatever you say, Helga."

The couple finally let go of each other, and as they walked out of the door, Arnold closed it behind them, then Helga took her key and locked it. She took Arnold's left hand and walked ahead of him down the steps and to the Packard and they continued grinning at each other all the way.

Once they were in the Packard, Arnold leaned forward and kissed Helga. Then he took one of his hands and stroked her face and the hair that was hanging down, and they smiled at each other.

"We'll have a good time, I promise. I want to make this a night for us to remember. I love you so much, Helga."

"I know you will, Arnold. I trust you, and I love you, too."

They kissed again, then they finally buckled their seat belts, Arnold started the car, then drove off to their school.

As they drove along the way, Arnold smiled to himself, remembering what he did with the pictures. He didn't care if Bob, Miriam, or Olga saw that the pictures were crooked or if they thought it was he who did it. He just hoped that someday, they would learn to appreciate Helga more than they still did or when they were kids. He didn't think things had to be 100% better between Helga and her family, just enough so that she could be happy.

But he also knew that as long as he and Helga were together, she would be happier than she would ever be or had been in her life.


End file.
